Condiment dispenser



M. ALLAND GONDIMENT DISPENSER Filed Sept'. 8, 192e' Patented Aug. 26, 1930 UNITED STATES MAURICE ALLAND, OF ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY CONDIMENT DISPENSER Application led September 8, 1928. Serial No. 304,739.

The object of the invention is to provide improvements in condiment dispensers, and more particularly in those adapted for the use and distribution of salt, and any other substance which has a tendency to be affected by excessive atmospheric moisture, which causes them to coagulate both within the container or so-called salt-cellar and in the apertures in the dispens'ing portion.

Another object more specifically is to provide in such a device means operative whereby the salt adjacent to the outlet is churned or loosened when moist and is then propelled through the said outlet, whence it falls by gravity upon the food or other surface, said means when not operated on the other hand being adapted to permit the free passage of dry salt thereby.

A further object is to provide an ejecting '20 means in such a device, in combination with a shape or construction -of the discharge opening which provides .projections or irregularities normally entering the corresponding irregularities of the ejecting means, and operative to free salt and the like from the intervening recesses in the ejector, so that the former falls freely from the latter.

Still another object is to provide a saltcellar or other type of container, which is adapted to discharge the condiment from the base or under side, without the usual necessity of inverting the device, as and in accordance with the manual depression of an ejecting means, which is preferably similar to the corresponding means above referred to, but which moves either axially, or rotatably, or both axially and rotatably simultaneously, while in the first type said means can oscillate or revolve only about its axis of rotation.

i With these and other objects in mind, the present invention comprises further details of construction and operation, which are fully brought out in the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section through one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a similar section taken at right angles to the section shown in Fig.

1; Fig. 3 is a top plan view; Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken through a salt-cellar or the like which operates without having to be inverted; and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, a salt-cellar 5; or other type of condiment container comprises a base portion having side walls 1, closed at the bottom A2, and provided with an upwardly extending externally-threaded reducedv cylindrical flange 3. Upon said 5( flange is adapted to be secured the similarly threaded lower portion 4 of a removable cap, the sides of which merge upwardly into longitudinally positioned diagonally extending walls 5 and laterally positioned diagonal 65 walls 6, said diagonal walls converging .toward a relativelyflat table section 7, through which extends an elongated aperture defined by rectilinearI ends 8, a rectilinear side 9, and an irregularly shaped saw-toothed side 10.

Extending between the oppositely positioned upper portions of the walls 4 of the removable cap is a rotatable shaft 11 carrying a suitable knurled knob or handle 12, extending outwardly beyond the limits of said cap, and between said walls within said cap, said shaft being provided with a spur-toothed roller, comprising alternately positioned circumferentially extending series of pyramidal teeth 13, separated by intervening angular spaces 14 of such shape that when a portion of the roller extends through the a erture as illustrated, the saw-teeth 10 exten ing into the spaces or grooves 14 operate to cleanse or remove salt or other form of condiment from between said teeth as the knob 12 is rotated.

In the operation of this device, the container is filled in the usual manner after first removing the cap from the base. After re- 9o placing the cap upon the base, while the condiment is suthciently dry and pulverized merely inverting the container and shaking or joggling the same is suiicient to cause the contents to be dispensed from the container between the rectilinear side 9 of the aperture in the cap and the adjacent surface of the spur-toothed roller.

However, in moist atmosphere or humid weather when condiments such as salt tend e pensed from the cap portion with the container in inverted position, additional portions of the contents move into the cap either through gravity or as a result of the usual shaking or joggling of the container as a whole.

Referring to Fig. 4, there is shown a modified form of the invention, comprising a container having a cylindrical or other desired form of side walls 20, tapering downwardly towards a circular aperture 21, beneath which is a shoulder 22 beyond which said walls merge into a radially outwardly flared lange 23 which serves as a circular open base for the l device. The upper and otherwise open end 24 of said container is normally closed by a cap 25 having a downwardly extending cylindrical {iange 26 in normal threaded engagement with the upper marginal portion of the container proper. Said cap comprises centrally substantially aligned upwardly and downwardly extending flanges 27 and 28, the lower of which is turned inwardly to provide a shoulder 29, surroundinganaperture 30, through which slidably extends a rod 31. Resting upon said shoulder is a compression spring 32 which normally presses upwardly against the under surface of a knob 33, which is adapted to be depressed manually by the iinger of the user o r operator while suspending the container as a unit above any surface upon which it is desired to dispense the condiment.

Upon the lower end portion of the rod 31 there is secured in any suitable manner a spur-toothed cylindrical member 34.-, which may be similar in all respects to the roller hereinbefore described except that it is provided at its normal lower end with a radially extending flange 35, adapted to engage the shoulder 22 when the knob 33 undepressed is in its uppermost position under the influence of the spring 32. Thus it will be obvious that upon suspending the device over food or the like upon which the condiment contentsare to be discharged, mere pressure downwardly upon the knob 33 serves to permit the condiment, if dry, to iow through the aperture 30, past the liange 35. However, if the condiment is moist and attempts to clog or coagulate within the lower portion of the container, a repeated oscillatory motion upon o5 the knob 33 serves to loosen the moist condiment and to force the same through said aperture, whence it falls in the usual manner by gravity. Or, on the other hand, the toothed member 34 may be rotated instead of oscillated, and if desired, a segmental portion of the aperture 21 may comprise a series of radially inwardly extending teeth 36 which operate to loosen the moist condiment rom between the consecutive longitudinal or circumferential series of teeth as the rod 31 is oscillated in various angular positions or is rotated in variousl longitudinal positions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A condiment container, comprising a hollow body having an aperture, teeth extending into said aperture, a cylindrical meinber having spaced longitudinal and circumferential rows of teeth and extending through. said aperture, a flange connected with said member normally closing said aperture, a rod manually actuatable to oscillate said member longitudinally to permit condiment-to pass through said aperture, and to cause said toothed edge section to remove material from between adjacent longitudinal rows of teeth upon said member, said member being also oscillatable circumferentially by said rod to cause said toothed edge section to remove matter from between adjacent circumferential rows of teeth upon said member, and resilient means to yieldingly maintain said flange in its normal position closing said aperture.

2. A condiment container, comprising a hollow body having an aperture, teeth extending into said aperture from a portion only of its periphery, a cylindrical member having longitudinally spaced rows of teeth and extending through said aperture, a flange connected with said member normally closing said aperture, and a rod manually actuatable axially to oscillate said member to permit condiment to pass through said aperture, and to cause said peripheral teeth to remove material from between the teeth in the respective rows upon said member, said rod also being rotatable to bring other teeth in the longitudinal rows into alignment with the toothed portion of the periphery of said aperture.

3. A condiment container, comprising a hollow body having an aperture, teeth eX- tending inwardly of said aperture from its periphery, a cylindrical member having spaced rows of teeth and extending through said aperture, a flange connected with said member normally closing said aperture, a rod manually actuatable in alignment with its axis to oscillate said member to permit condiment to pass through said aperture, and to cause said toothed edge section to remove material from between adjacent longitudinal rows of teeth upon said member icc lll() and oscillatable circumferentially to cause said toothed ed e section to remove material from between t e teeth of each longitudinal row, said rod also being rotatable to bring other teeth in the longitudinal rows into alignment with said toothed edge section, and resilient means to yieldingly maintain said flange in its normal position closing said aperture.

In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature.

MAURICE 

